I did it, I really did it! Those are my initial thoughts as this graduate technology course comes to an end. Looking back at my first few blogs posts, I have to smile. I was nervous, not sure what to expect, and also unsure about how much I was ready to step out of my comfort zone. I have learned about so much technology (simple and more involved) over the course of this semester. Some of them (i.e. smore, word clouds, weebly, Twitter, iMovie) were easier to grasp then others, but overall what a great course. It has pushed me to think outside of the box about engaging ways to include technology during my therapy sessions. Given the challenges with each assignment (including writing a blog!), I made myself look at all of the options and choose as many as I could, that I felt would carryover into my everyday world (i.e. my job).
In today's world and in the field of education, the use of technology continues to grow. Taking this course exposed me to many of the resources that are out there. It has been eye opening, to say the least. I will continue to explore the different "tech tools" and use them when appropriate. Like Smore, the online tool to create flyers and share them, when needed (i.e. with parents and staff). It would be great to have a "go to" site of created flyers that I can refer to and share, instead of handwriting them out when asked. I also like Blabberize, although I wish it would record for more then 30 seconds (maybe a minute?). The students really enjoyed that tool as well as the parents. It was a fun way to show a snapshot of what we work on in therapy. I definitely feel that my knowledge of technology has grown and that I am more familiar with so many more tools that are out there.
That all goes without saying, having great colleagues and friends take this course with me helped too! It was nice to be able to bounce ideas off of each other and to talk about the different parts of the tech world. The teacher is VERY knowledgeable and willing to answer any questions you have. (Thanks Nicole!)
No I am not going to talk about how to make chocolate-y deliciousness using graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows (although that does sound good!) Instead, I want to tell you about this online tool to make a flyer/poster using website Smore. Once I created a free account, I had access to many different templates and layouts. The online templates are very user friendly, so when you pick the one you want to use, the program takes you step by step through each of the components, so you can edit and make it your own. I was able to edit the title, text, and add pictures with minimal difficulty. When you are finished creating your flyer, you can save it to your account, and use it whenever you want. You are also given the option to send it via email as well.
I definitely think this would be a tool that I could use, to make handouts and references for parents. I typically write out homework, with descriptions for parents, but instead I could send home my pre-created flyers. I could make different flyers about each sound, how to produce it (with visuals and step by step instructions), and ways to practice at home as well as ways to target vocabulary, asking/answering wh - questions, and boost language skills. It would cut down on the time I use to write out these tools for home, since I would be able to refer to them, and either print or e-mail them directly to parents.
https://www.smore.com/44jpq
